Meghalaya maid murder case: bail for prime accused

The prime accused in the murder of a former DGP’s maid servant, Rinehskhem Kharshohnoh, was granted bail...

The prime accused in the murder of a former DGP’s maid servant, Rinehskhem Kharshohnoh, was granted bail by the court of the Additional District Magistrate on Wednesday evening. Arwil Chisim Sangma was arrested after the CID conducted an investigation and zeroed on him as prime suspect.

A visibly relieved Sangma told reporters after his release that he was “innocent” and had been framed in the murder case. “I don’t know why they have arrested me, but I didn’t commit the murder,” he said.

Sangma’s lawyer Poonam Yadav said she believed her client was innocent but he seems to be “afraid” and appears to be “hiding something”. She said she would pursue the case to its logical end and prove that her client is innocent.

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Kharshohnoh was found murdered on March 7, 2007 inside her house within the high security compound of DGP W R Marbaniang. The police initially dismissed it as a suicide case and refused to register a murder case.

The Congress-led coalition government of D D Lapang shifted Marbaniang as state DGP and posted him as DGP, Home Guards and Civil Defence. The Government then asked the CID to investigate the high profile case.

On July 9, the CID arrested Sangma. While he first claimed to be innocent, but he reportedly admitted to the murder later. While the CID was on the job to track the murderer, a city lawyer filed a PIL in the Shillong Bench of the Gauhati High Court demanding that the case be investigated by the CBI.

On his recent visit to Shillong, CBI Director Vijay Shanker said that the agency would get to the root of the case and bring the culprit to book.